Q12543 wrote:Tim! If you plan on watching it, could you give us hanger-ons a write up summarizing things! I do believe today is the first day of camp.
By the way, is your optimism contagious? If it is, I hear FNG has not been vaccinated yet against such an outbreak of positivity. Could you find a way to buy him dinner in a poorly ventilated, small restaurant?
LOL, you're correct I have not vaccinated myself against the deadly Wolves Optimism Epidemic that has infected this board. However, I am careful to double mask and socially distance whenever I find myself in the presence of those telling me that DLO's performance at the end of the year last year indicates he's ready to become a lockdown defender and lead this team to the playoffs! If we take the proper measures, we can beat this epidemic!
It's interesting...most of the guys I talk sports with would describe me as an optimist when it comes to local teams. I'm not going to go back and look at my wins prediction a year ago, but I'm fairly certain it was "over" the Vegas line and far above the actual results. And that's not unusual...I usually have rose-colored glasses when it comes to my local teams (my god, I called Cousins All-Pro in the Vikings thread this morning). But as much as I tried to support Rosas the past two years by pointing out the few good moves he has made (Beverley, Ant and...well, I guess that's it), he has not done nearly enough to improve the prospects of this franchise with his moves and I would argue he has actually had a negative impact. I know I should be more patient when it comes to the Simmons situation, but Rosas's inability to complete a deal when it seemed to be there for the taking has turned me quite pessimistic about this season.
That's why I'll be watching the press conference today hoping that Gupta can restore my normal sunny optimism. After all, has Glen ever made a poor choice? Who's to say a 5'6" Indian computer science major isn't exactly what we need to finally become a playoff team?
Awesome post Fungo! With our track record, why shouldn't we have supreme confidence in a 5-6 Indian Computer Science major? NBA lore is littered with his type having major impacts on the league. Was Bob Cousy Indian?
Q12543 wrote:Dane Moore
@DaneMooreNBA
·
16m
Eye test here at Media Day says Anthony Edwards is definitely much bigger than he was last season. Just turned 20.
Glen gave an intro blurb cutting off all Qs about Rosas and other employees dismissed (legal reasons), and all Qs about any player under contract on another team (nba restrictions). -- this is obviously squashing Simmons' questions.
Glen gave an overview of his reasons for selling and his initial contacts with Alex and Marc.
Marc talked -- he is all about culture.
Alex -- sounds like he is just out for a joy ride!
60WinTim wrote:At least that is what my Bally Sports North guide says... Not sure what to expect!
At this point, the coaches and players we have on the floor will be all Rosas. He is gone, and rightfully so, but I cannot help but tell him thank you his two-year rebuild of the product we will see on the floor this year. It sure seems like we are poised for a significant turnaround this year.
I do wonder if we won't see a tweek by Gupta to add another body to our frontcourt (or a splash with Simmons). We have some extra bench fodder (e.g. Nowell, Layman) that could be swapped for some bigger bench fodder...
I do think it's possible that the Wolves make a tweak but I think it's unlikely. Something to consider is that Prince has some incentives in his contract. I don't think they are super likely ones but as close as the Wolves are to the Lux tax they will want to be careful about making any moves to get closer. I think to make a trade they will have to pay some sort of asset to move some of Layman's salary or do a 2 for one deal where they end up with 2 guys making slightly less. The Wolves have plenty of guys that could play some SF but Jake isn't the worst depth option there. Hopefully we don't need him much at all this season.
I am thinking in terms of moving one or two bodies for someone who can legitimately play C in the event KAT or Naz are sidelined for any amount of time. Or are we just assuming Vando can play C?!?
This has been my concern all along. We need a big body, not just as a safety net in the event Naz or KAT get hurt, but we really need one in our regular rotation that is a legit player. We don't have enough interior size to stop people once they get past the first line of defense. I do think Finch knows this and will deploy a more aggressive, hard-hedging strategy to take advantage of the length and quickness we do have. But no scheme is perfect and we are going to get beat up by the bigger Centers again.
Nathan Knight would be the next man up at C not Vanderbilt.
Q12543 wrote:Dane Moore
@DaneMooreNBA
·
16m
Eye test here at Media Day says Anthony Edwards is definitely much bigger than he was last season. Just turned 20.
Time for media day bingo
LOL, yes, we seem to hear this every year! Edwards was already a beast physically, so if the reality is more like he grew a half inch and gained 5 more lbs. over the course of a year versus some dramatic growth spurt, I'll take it!
60WinTim wrote:At least that is what my Bally Sports North guide says... Not sure what to expect!
At this point, the coaches and players we have on the floor will be all Rosas. He is gone, and rightfully so, but I cannot help but tell him thank you his two-year rebuild of the product we will see on the floor this year. It sure seems like we are poised for a significant turnaround this year.
I do wonder if we won't see a tweek by Gupta to add another body to our frontcourt (or a splash with Simmons). We have some extra bench fodder (e.g. Nowell, Layman) that could be swapped for some bigger bench fodder...
I do think it's possible that the Wolves make a tweak but I think it's unlikely. Something to consider is that Prince has some incentives in his contract. I don't think they are super likely ones but as close as the Wolves are to the Lux tax they will want to be careful about making any moves to get closer. I think to make a trade they will have to pay some sort of asset to move some of Layman's salary or do a 2 for one deal where they end up with 2 guys making slightly less. The Wolves have plenty of guys that could play some SF but Jake isn't the worst depth option there. Hopefully we don't need him much at all this season.
I am thinking in terms of moving one or two bodies for someone who can legitimately play C in the event KAT or Naz are sidelined for any amount of time. Or are we just assuming Vando can play C?!?
This has been my concern all along. We need a big body, not just as a safety net in the event Naz or KAT get hurt, but we really need one in our regular rotation that is a legit player. We don't have enough interior size to stop people once they get past the first line of defense. I do think Finch knows this and will deploy a more aggressive, hard-hedging strategy to take advantage of the length and quickness we do have. But no scheme is perfect and we are going to get beat up by the bigger Centers again.
Nathan Knight would be the next man up at C not Vanderbilt.
Neither option is a good one at Center. Knight looked like a G-leaguer in summer league.
Q12543 wrote:Dane Moore
@DaneMooreNBA
·
16m
Eye test here at Media Day says Anthony Edwards is definitely much bigger than he was last season. Just turned 20.
Time for media day bingo
Karl-Anthony Towns will be "in the best shape of his life" and D'Angelo Russell will be "as locked in as he ever has been."
Even if it's true, we hear this stuff every year. The Anthony Edwards stuff might be a little different just because we learned he may have grown a couple inches.
